Wednesday, January 16, 2008

A Clean Sink

We all have little quirks and obsessions if we're living and breathing individuals. Usually people around us notice these little things we do and there can be some friendly ridicule involved. My husband stands at the front of the line poking fun at all my little obsessive habits and I'm the first to point out his. It's all in good humor though unless there is bodily odor involved.

The appearance of a clean sink without a single object sitting in it waiting to be washed gives me a great sense of delight.

Isn't it pretty? Nice & shiny and empty...just the way I like it!

A couple years ago after listening to a M.O.P.S group speaker give tips on keeping your house in order & clean, I was inspired to put some of those tips to action in my own home. Now honestly, I am like everyone else...I always have a goal in my mind of how I would like to have a perfectly clean house...one that is spotless at all times so that whenever someone just happens to drop in I can breath a sigh of relief. With two small children, it just isn't the case most of the time. I was recently reminded by a friend that the little messes & marks our children leave for us are really blessings. I would much rather have the evidence of children living in our home than to not.

OK, back to the M.O.P.S speaker...she recommended the flylady website for additional tips on cleaning. After checking it out, I learned a tip that has really helped me keep my sink empty most of the time.

I placed a container under the sink to hold hand washables which keeps them out of sight until "handwashing day" comes. The other dishes go directly into the dishwasher after use...so that keeps my sink empty & my mood lifted.

I'm sure my Mother & Grandmothers had their own little quirks and obsessions about things...and I wish I had more insight into some of those things. These little things paint a picture of our personality in a way that we could never describe ourselves. So I'm going to make an effort to record some of these situations to share with others a few more details of who I am...even if it sounds a little crazy.

7 comments:

Sherri, I love that! That is so great! I am going to go buy a tub for under my sink!!! I use to subscribe to the fly ladies e-mail but they e-mailed so often it made me feel like I could never keep up!!! No, it had a lot of good tips! Keep those good tips coming, I enjoy all you suggestions! We tried the toddler bed and it was a long night!! Ha HaNicole

Hey Sherri! Just so you know, you can come clean my house anytime you want! W don't have any kids yet, but we do have 3 dogs inside! Yeah, I guess you could call their messes blessings as well. Wouldn't have it any other way. I like clean, but yeah I do seem to like crazyness as well!

Oh, to have a dishwasher! In order to have a clean counter...I have to go out to eat! There are always dishes either waiting, or drying. But I am thankful right now for warm water at the faucet after our trip! I forgot how much I enjoy it!

Okay, girls, you all think this cleanliness thing is such a blessing, huh? You know...I have to pick up all my stuff..I mean immediately...I mean it can't even sit there 5 minutes if I'm going to use again in JUST 5 minutes again if you know what I mean. Now I understand order and tidiness and cleanliness until it reaches the practicality limit. So hon, if I'm going to use my coffee mug later today, I want to have it sit there on the counter for a bit. NOT put it in the dishwasher and then get another one out in an hour. Rant rant rant rant.

Okay, now the RAVE. I would say that this is MUCH more a blessing to have than a curse. Honey I am truly impressed with your ambition and ability to keep the house in order. Blessings to you, dear.

I just found FlyLady this January and I LOVE it!! My sister in law is getting hooked too. When I saw FlyLady's tip for a dirty dish tub under the sink, I remembered you did it too, so I finally gave it a try. Now I love it. I'm also shining my sink every night and turning into a regular obsessive-compulsive person about the condition of my sink. (I even wipe it out with a clean towel after every use.)